


the supply closet

by MargaritaDaemonelix



Series: lonashipping week 2019 [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Emergency Seamstressing, F/M, Lonashipping Week 2019, Weddings, lana is an excellent friend and can be paid for her services in cake or cash, mallow can sew unlike the rest of these fools, moon is very much in love and also in a panic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 01:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19984144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MargaritaDaemonelix/pseuds/MargaritaDaemonelix
Summary: Doing an emergency sewing job in the back of a smelly supply closet was not how Mallow had expected to spend the last few minutes before her best friends’ wedding, but she’ll take it./lonashipping week | day 4: tight space





	the supply closet

Mallow realizes something is terribly wrong when Lillie comes running to her in  _ heels _ .

“That’s dangerous,” she chides, knowing fully well that the younger girl has twisted her ankle over much less, but the flush in her cheeks says too much. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Moon,” Lillie says breathlessly, and grabs her by the hand and runs. A whirlwind of nightmarish scenarios batter through Mallow’s mind—Moon’s gotten cold feet and left, Moon’s period came out of all her stress from planning, Moon ate a Tamato berry and it was so spicy that she cried hard enough to wash off all her makeup, Moon tripped on a wrinkle in the carpet and broke every bone in her body—

At that moment, Lillie takes a sharp turn directly towards the supply closet, and Mallow is horribly confused for a heartbeat until she flings the door open and Moon’s bridal train is piled up in the doorway. “Moon, what happened?” she asks, stepping over the fabric gingerly.

In the back of the supply closet, knelt between tubs of cleaning solution, Moon looks kind of miserable despite the radiance in her ensemble. “I’m a dumbass,” she mutters as the door swings shut. Lillie turns on her phone flashlight helpfully, and in the dim light, Mallow can see the missing buttons from the closure that must have snapped off. “I tried to fix my veil, and the buttons popped off.”

Now Mallow understands why they’ve ended up here, mere metres from the event hall, and why Lillie specifically dragged her here. Besides the groom himself, she’s probably the only one in their friend group who’s brave enough to patch up a piece of clothing while it’s still on the wearer. “Do either of you have a sewing kit?”

Lillie, ever prepared, produces a spool of white thread and a needle in an instant. “I’ll text Lana to stall the wedding for as long as she can,” she says. In the ghostly light emitted by her phone, her smile looks grim. “Do you need scissors?”

Mallow shakes her head. “Moon, I’m gonna need you to sit, alright?”

They manage to finagle her a seat on one of the tubs, careful not to rip any of the sheer chiffon and tulle that makes up her train. Mallow manages to tuck herself next to the tub, squished between a shelf of foul-smelling chemicals and her friends. Lillie offers her flashlight from above, perched on tiptoe even in her heels to fully illuminate the area.

“I’m sorry,” Moon murmurs as Mallow rips a segment of thread off with her teeth and begins to thread the needle. “Gladion’s probably already waiting at the altar, isn’t he? I wouldn’t be surprised if he just left at this point.”

“Oh, Moon.” Lillie pushes a stray curl out of her face, tucking it behind the veil. “You know Gladion wouldn’t leave you for the world. Besides, Lana just  _ accidentally _ unplugged a power bar or two. We still have some time.”

Moon sighs. “It’s not just that. I’m a disaster.” She heaves a deep breath, like she’s coming to terms with something awful, and lets out a defeated laugh. “Look at me, needing to be sewn back up into my dress in some dusty supply closet. What if that happens again? Forget a wedding, what if I mess up my cooking and blow up our house? What if I drop one of our children on their head or something? What if I—”

“Moon, you’re doing to be okay,” Mallow says. The knot she’d tied into the thread sits firmly against the fabric of the dress and doesn’t pop open when she tugs.  _ Good. _ “Take a deep breath, okay? Have you ever tried circular breathing?” Moon nods, and Mallow smiles. “Yeah. That’s a good place to start. The more you think about the things that are going to go wrong, the more you’ll expect things to go wrong. So let’s think positive thoughts.”

“Yeah, think of my brother standing at the altar,” Lillie chimes in. “You always spend so long gushing over him after he wears a suit for Aether’s galas. He’s gussied up just as much as you have today. Aren’t you excited to see him?”

“Gladion.” The ghost of a smile appears on Moon’s face, tinted with the rosy glow of love. “Didn’t Ilima threaten to shave his hair off if he didn’t get in his suit earlier?”

Mallow laughs, and narrowly avoids stabbing Moon in the back with the needle.  _ “You heard that?” _

“Was I not supposed to?”

_ This is good, _ Mallow thinks as she looks up at Lillie and shares a knowing grin.  _ Moon is laughing again, and that’s what we need for when she walks down that aisle. _

“Oh, maybe,” Lillie chortles. “Think about the reception! The party! The cake! Didn’t you say you were going to try and smash a slice into Gladion’s face?”

“Don’t do that to my poor cake,” Mallow protests, “I worked so hard to bake it!”

“I make no promises.” Moon lets out a contented sigh, playing absentmindedly with the lace border of her veil. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you guys earlier, I just… It’s still hard to believe I’m getting married.  _ I’m marrying Gladion. _ Today. Like, in a few minutes.”

“Never would have guessed.” Another knot, then Mallow tugs it firm and snaps the last of the thread off the needle with a harder pull and hides the loose ends in the dress. “Okay, since you guys did  _ not _ provide me with the lost buttons, I had to do a quick running stitch up the middle and just straight up join the two sides together.”

Moon splutters. “But, buttons,” she says, reaching behind herself like she’s trying to feel the seam. Mallow gently smacks her hand aside before it can burst again, and gently rearranges her coiffed hair and silvery veil to hide the stitches. “How am I supposed to take this dress off if it’s all sewn together?”

“The historical Empress Elisabeth of ancient Sinnoh had her dresses sewn together around her, so I’m sure you’ll manage,” Lillie says nonchalantly, helping Moon to her feet and straightening out her dress. “And besides that, I’m sure my brother will be ripping it off you later tonight, buttons or otherwise.”

_ “Lillie—!” _

The closet door opens, letting the light flood in. When Mallow is no longer blinded, Lana is there, helping them each up. “You owe me one for this,” she hisses, “Gladion was about to have my head for  _ tripping _ over a chord.”

“Do you, uh, take cake?”

“Quiet, everyone,” Lillie whispers, “we’re about to head in.”

The door opens to fanfare and a gentle shower of flower petals. The world lights up in white as fanfare begins to play and the bridesmaids take their places at Moon’s side. Her father joins her, and with a cheer from all around, the procession begins.

Mallow sighs in relief as she approaches her rehearsed place at the side of the altar. Doing an emergency sewing job in the back of a smelly supply closet was not how she’d expected to spend the last few minutes before her best friends’ wedding, but she’ll take it.

Seeing the way Moon and Gladion smile at each other as they join hands at the altar makes it all worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> honestly Mallow has one of my fave character designs in the alola cast, and i just love her little quirks too? like look at her game art she's got a whole soup spoon in hand, that is a capable woman who could outlast the apocalypse and you know it  
> also i love Lana. i look at her and i think "hot damn that is a funky little gremlin who could totally kick my ass in a pokemon battle". also her hair is adorable  
> the bit about Empress Elisabeth is real! Empress Elisabeth of Austria (commonly known in media as empress Sissi) had a very thin waist and often had her dresses made around her - the maids would put the incomplete dress on her, and the final stitches would be sewn while she was in the dress so that she wouldn't have to stretch and distend the fabric while putting it on!


End file.
